


Extrajudicial Considerations

by afrakaday



Series: Special Prosecutions [6]
Category: Battlestar Galactica, Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-24
Updated: 2012-09-24
Packaged: 2017-11-15 00:04:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/520922
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afrakaday/pseuds/afrakaday





	Extrajudicial Considerations

_December 1990_

Bill and Laura entered the courtroom a few minutes before the scheduled hearing and sat together at the government-side counsel table, waiting for the judge and opposing counsel to appear. Laura was melancholy, owing to the fact that this would likely be one of their last joint appearances in court together.

“Hey.” He lay his hand gently on top of hers and toyed with the silver bangle he’d given her the previous week for Hanukkah. “It’ll be okay.”

“I know,” she sighed. “I just don’t like change. And I don’t like the thought of spending less time with you.” Her bottom lip protruded and trembled, though her eyes, meeting his, were playful, no doubt thinking of the main advantages of being stuck late at the office working on trial preparations long after everyone else had left.

Bill had to agree that it would be strange not to be working with Laura on a busy docket of criminal matters after spending the past three years together. But his transfer was a great opportunity, one he really couldn’t turn down. And he thought he’d come up with a pretty good solution to her complaint that they would see less of each other by working in different divisions.

“Maybe it’s time we moved in together,” he said.

Her eyes widened, but before she could respond the defense attorney arrived, giving a friendly wave to his adversaries.

“Hey, Romo,” Laura said, though her eyes never left Bill’s.

“We’ll talk more about this later,” he mouthed, reaching under the table to give her thigh a squeeze.

Within a few minutes, the defendant, Gaius Baltar, was brought into the courtroom by the US Marshals and placed, shackled, next to his attorney. The courtroom deputy arrived shortly thereafter and called out, “All rise. The Honorable Helena Cain, presiding.”

Bill and Laura turned to each other in surprise. “We _are_ in Judge Russo’s courtroom, right?” Bill whispered, looking around.

Laura nodded silently in response, and turned to Romo Lampkin with eyebrows raised; he simply held up his hands and shrugged.

“Judge Russo is out sick today, so I am covering his hearings.” The tone of her voice made clear that she neither approved of nor appreciated the circumstance. She narrowed her eyes at the attorneys and defendant below her. “We’re here for the arraignment and bond determination in United States v. Gaius Baltar. Counselors.”

Few attorneys enjoyed appearing before Judge Cain, whose demeanor was the polar opposite of kindly, jovial Judge Russo’s. Laura took her time rising to begin the formal listing of charges. “Your Honor, the defendant, Gaius Baltar, has been charged with assaulting his domestic partner on federal property, specifically, their joint laboratory on Fort Dix, in violation of 18 United States Code section 113. He is also charged with developing unauthorized chemical weapons, in violation of 18 United States code section 229. These charges each carry a maximum possible penalty of twenty years in prison. Due to the severity of the crimes charged, Dr. Baltar’s access to significant overseas funds, and the threat to the safety of the victim in this matter, the Government respectfully requests that bail be denied and Dr. Baltar be remanded to the custody of the Marshal.” Laura nodded briefly at Lampkin and took her seat.

The defense attorney rose next and zealously argued that the charges stemmed out of a big misunderstanding with his girlfriend, who’d been cheating on him and had skipped town with her lover, anyway; the government had issued an order freezing his assets, so his flight risk was low; and that an appropriate custodian had come forward who was willing to take responsibility for Baltar’s pre-trial release.

“And how does your client plead, Mr. Lampkin?” Judge Cain asked.

Lampkin turned to his client, who stood awkwardly, clearly still not used to the ankle shackles that bound him. “I am innocent! One hundred percent innocent! She set me up. I plead not guilty, Your Honor!” His British accent sounded affected to Bill’s ears.

The judge furrowed her brow, making the creases in her forehead even more pronounced as she looked from Baltar to the indictment before her. “I’m granting bail on a personal recognizance bond,” she said shortly. “See the courtroom deputy about the paperwork, Mr. Lampkin. Court stands adjourned.” She left the bench in a swirl of black robes without a second glance back at the stunned litigants. Lampkin and his client, looking delighted, left a few moments later.

Laura sank into her seat, deflated. Their investigatory interview of Dr. Baltar had revealed him a condescending gasbag who would have had his ass handed to him in the Newark City Prison awaiting trial. And the investigation had further shown that he had both the means and the connections to flee the jurisdiction, asset freeze or no.

“I need to get a protective detail on the victim right away,” she said, pinching the bridge of her nose.

“Is that really necessary?” he asked. Romo had told the judge she’d split. Baltar was a wanker, but the slight, greasy man didn’t seem inherently violent or dangerous. And Bill had been surprised the grand jury had indicted on the chemical weapons charge at all, as the evidence was far from overwhelming.

“She’s laying low in the Pine Barrens,” Laura said. “I talked to her a few days ago. She’s scared out of her wits.” She looked over in the direction of the prisoners’ elevator at the side of the courtroom, where Baltar had entered but not returned through, to her great frustration. “I really thought this was a sure thing. Regardless of Judge Russo being out, no sane judge would have granted bail in this case.” She shook her head. “What the hell?”

“It’s nothing you did, Laura,” he said, gathering the papers from the table for her and sticking them into her briefcase. They could put a detail on the victim and keep tabs on Baltar, though the whole thing struck Bill as a domestic dispute that just happened to have occurred on federal property. “You know, I heard that Judge Cain’s husband left her and they’re in the middle of divorcing. They had a prenup, and on her federal salary, her lifestyle’s about to change dramatically.” Cain’s husband was a prominent divorce attorney who demanded top dollar from his high-profile clients; it was no surprise that he’d protected himself well in the event of a breakup. The marriage trap, made possible by the blinders of love, had a way of snaring even the most wary. Laura was mad about it, but in a way, Cain's biased reaction humanized her considerably. “I think we caught her at a time when she’s not going to be sympathetic to cheating lovers who leave.”

Laura pursed her lips. “Regardless of what’s going on in her personal life, it’s her duty to be impartial and follow the law. Which clearly called for Baltar being remanded into custody.”

Bill shrugged and tugged her to her feet. “Love. It makes people do crazy things,” he said, following her out of the courtroom. He pulled her into the attorney conference room right outside the courtroom and placed his hands on her hips. “So. Time to start looking for a house together?”

She smiled for the first time since they’d walked into court and answered his question with an affirmative kiss.  
  



End file.
